Mobile Broadband Guide: How To Access It & UK Providers Compared

Mobile broadband gives you access to the internet using 4G mobile network coverage on your laptop and tablet.

Mobile broadband has been growing in popularity as another way to get your devices connected to the internet.

Making use of the same 4G technology that connects your smartphone to the internet, it can give other devices like your laptop and tablet access to high-speed internet whilst you’re on the go. It can occasionally also be used as a replacement for home broadband, giving faster set-up and greater flexibility.

In this article, we’ll tell you everything you need to know about mobile broadband in the UK. We’ll start by looking at how you can access mobile broadband and at the various connection methods available to you including tethering, USB dongles, portable wi-fi and using a SIM card slot. We’ll then discuss the different providers you can use in the UK, before comparing it to home broadband and looking at mobile broadband coverage.

For a more long-term solution which affords you a bit of added flexibility (e.g. using mobile broadband without your smartphone or as a full-on replacement for home broadband), you can also consider having a dedicated mobile broadband connection. This will require you to have a USB dongle or portable wi-fi hotspot device. Alternatively, you could also use a 3G or 4G tablet with a built-in SIM card slot.

For more information, read on for a full side-by-side comparison of the different ways of accessing mobile broadband.

Tethering vs Dedicated Mobile Broadband

Tethering from your smartphone is the easiest way to get mobile broadband.

When choosing a method of accessing mobile broadband, the first thing to consider is whether you’d like to tether from a smartphone, or whether you’d like a fully untethered and independent mobile broadband connection.

For occasional usage whilst you’re on-the-go, tethering is normally the fastest and simplest way to get your devices online. Providing your mobile network allows it, simply enable the “portable wi-fi hotspot” feature on your smartphone to share a 3G/4G internet connection with your other devices. This will use the regular data allowance from your mobile phone price plan, so there’s usually no additional charge providing you have enough data available.

If you’re a regular user of tethering on your smartphone, we recommend choosing a price plan with more data. The following table shows mobile price plans with at least 20GB of tetherable data each month:

The downside of using tethering is your mobile broadband connection will be linked to a single device, your smartphone. Having an independent and dedicated separate mobile broadband connection can afford you greater flexibility, and the ability to access mobile broadband separately from your smartphone.

The following table summarises the key differences between tethering via your smartphone and having a dedicated mobile broadband connection:

USB Dongle vs Portable Hotspot vs SIM Slot

If you choose to go for a dedicated mobile broadband connection, there are three ways through which you’re able to use this:

By plugging in a USB dongle to your laptop.

By using a portable wi-fi hotspot device (more commonly known as a “MiFi”).

By using the built-in SIM card slot in a 4G-enabled device (typically, on a 4G tablet).

The most appropriate method will depend on the type of device you want to use mobile broadband on, as well as the number of devices you want to use at one time.

The cheapest way to get a single laptop connected to mobile broadband is using a USB dongle, which is available for around £20. A portable wi-fi hotspot is a little more expensive, but allows you to connect multiple devices (often up to 10 devices or more at one time). Meanwhile, if you have a 4G-ready tablet, you may be able to use the built-in SIM card slot.

The following table summarises the key differences between the three connection methods:

USB Dongle

Portable Wi-Fi Hotspot (MiFi)

SIM Card Slot

Device Compatibility

Laptops with a spare USB port for the dongle.

Any device that supports wi-fi connectivity.

Devices with a built-in SIM card slot (e.g. 4G tablets).

Number of Devices

1

Multiple (often 10+)

1

Requires Charging?

No, the USB dongle is powered by your laptop.

Yes, the hotspot needs to be charged.

No, your device just needs to be charged as normal.

Cost

Generally cheapest (less than £20).

More expensive (approx £60 to £100 on Pay As You Go).

Most expensive (approx £100 more for 4G-ready tablet)

Mobile Broadband in the UK

You can get mobile broadband from multiple different providers in the UK:

Virgin Mobile

If you’re looking for a dedicated mobile broadband connection, there’s a mobile wi-fi hotspot offering available on Virgin from £5/month. You’ll need to sign a Pay Monthly contract to get set up on mobile broadband (it’s currently £5 for 1GB data, £8 for 2GB data, £12 for 5GB data and £20 for 10GB data per month).

Virgin uses EE as its network coverage provider, so customers on Virgin Mobile Broadband will get the same coverage as customers on EE.

Mobile Broadband VS Home Broadband

Mobile broadband can sometimes be used as a substitute for fixed home broadband (broadband that’s delivered through a phone line or cable). It can be a good option for people who’ve recently moved home, who want the added flexibility of a mobile connection or who are unable to get fixed broadband where they live.

The download speeds on a 4G connection are often comparable, or even better, than what is available on fixed home broadband. The downside however, is that mobile broadband plans tend to be more expensive, and have a monthly download limit (most fixed home broadband plans now offer unlimited data). This can be an issue if you watch lots of video online through services like BBC iPlayer, Netflix and YouTube (especially so if you’re watching in high-definition). Mobile broadband also offers slower response times (higher ping and latency) so it isn’t ideal for things like fast-paced online gaming.

If you’d like to use mobile broadband as a replacement for fixed home broadband, we recommend investigating Three’s HomeFi plans. The HomeFi offers 4G mobile broadband at a download speed of up to 150Mbit/s, and supports up to 32 devices at a given time. It’s possible to get 40GB of data for £24/month (with no upfront cost on a 12-month contract, or £60 on a 1-month rolling contract).

If you live in Central London or Swindon, you can also consider Relish which offers unlimited 4G mobile broadband from £22/month.

5G Mobile Broadband

Today, most mobile broadband connections use 4G technology, falling back to 3G where there’s no 4G coverage available. Whilst 4G technology can already match fibre broadband in terms of download speed, it tends to be more expensive and suffers from limited network capacity and slower response times.

In 2019, the UK’s first 5G mobile networks are due to launch on a trial basis. One of the key new technologies this is likely to enable is 5G Fixed Wireless Access (or 5G FWA for short). 5G FWA will provide a major upgrade for mobile broadband, giving increased network capacity, higher download speeds (1Gbit/s and more) and lower response times. It is likely to make mobile broadband an even better alternative to fixed home broadband. We may even see mobile broadband become the predominant connection method for many people at home.

Coverage

There are currently four mobile networks in the UK which build and maintain their a mobile broadband network. These four companies are EE, O2, Three and Vodafone. Each of them licenses spectrum from the Government and maintains their own network of 3G and 4G masts across the country.

As of 2018, the four networks each offer about 99% population coverage on 4G. However, coverage still varies by network on an area-by-area basis, so it’s worth checking this online before signing up to a given network. To do this, select your mobile network’s logo to see a coverage map for your area:

BT and Virgin offer their mobile broadband service using coverage from the EE network. For more information, see our in-depth guide to mobile coverage in the UK.

Your Comments
14 so far

Gillian Everettsaid:

I’m living in my own house with a family member as tenant. They have a Sky package for internet, tv, landline etc. I’m paying half towards the cost (£100/2) and feel this is expensive, especially as I don’t use most of the features. I’d like to either get a dongle or use my Samsung Galaxy S8 as a mobile broadband device. I don’t download films or music but do use BBC iplayer, plus Googling, emails, fb etc. I’ve not long moved back from living permanently in France and plan to sell up shortly, so looking for something short term. Which would be cheapest – use the Samsung as a hotspot or buy a dongle and get a PAYG data plan – say 15GB? TIA

Macgowansaid:

I live on a hillside in rural Wales,1mile + from BT exchange so landline Broad Band was only 6-7mbps & fibre est.up to 17.
I now use BT mobile 25-40mpbs and no problems , so landline cancelled.
Landline can’t compete with 4g if you can get a good signal.
We are lucky, two transmitters a few miles SW.
Three is also good 4g 25-30mbps.
In London my BT is 24mbps inside, I assume slower because more users ?

I always come to your website for info. on mobile and refer friends & family here.

Hi there,
Agreed – I think 4G is a really good technology for covering “the last mile” and can definitely match or beat home broadband in many situations (the only disadvantage being that data packages tend to be limited in size, so making it quite restrictive if you want to consume lots of multimedia online).
Ken

Vena Wongsaid:

Hi Vena,
We use GSM technology here in the UK. Therefore, you should bring a GSM handset with support for one of the following:
For 2G coverage, either GSM900 or GSM1800.
For 3G coverage, you’ll need WCDMA2100.
For 4G coverage, you’ll need LTE bands 3, 7 or 20.
Hope this helps,
Ken

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About Ken

My passion is helping people to get the most out of their mobile phone. I've been blogging at Ken's Tech Tips since 2005.

Aside from writing about mobile technology, I have an interest in software development, digital marketing and physics. Outside of the blog, I work with numerous technology companies helping them to market their product to consumers. Find out more.